INTERVIEW | Susan Page Davis
By editor on Sep 17, 2007 in Interviews
Susan, describe yourself for our visitors.
I grew up in a very small Maine resort town. My father was a game warden. My older sisters taught me to read by reading the same story books to me over and over. Soon I was picking out the words, and then I was reading on my own. Reading and writing stories were among my passions from an early age.
I love horses and even took a course in horseshoeing shortly after I was married, but I no longer practice the art. I like history (my college major) and genealogical research. I belong to the DAR. I also like logic puzzles and embroidery, though lately I’m too busy to do much of those. I serve as financial secretary at our independent Baptist church.
My husband Jim is a news editor. We have six children, all home schooled (two are still at it) and four grandchildren.
How do you find time to connect with God?
I usually have my own quiet time of scripture reading in the morning, when I go into my home office. I keep a prayer list hanging on the hutch of my computer desk so I can glance up there frequently and remember a friend in prayer when I have a moment during the day. We also sit down for family devotions after lunch, since my husband works evenings at the newspaper.
Tell us about your journey to publication.
I wrote for a newspaper for many years—local news and features. I started writing fiction seriously in 1999, with a romantic suspense book (still unpublished) and sold several short stories to magazines. Then I sold my first book in 2003 (Protecting Amy, a historical, which came out in 2004 from Heartsong Presents). Two years later, Heartsong bought my second book. It wasn’t long before I sold a children’s book and more historical novels. Then I finally sold what I’d wanted to from the start—a romantic suspense book. Frasier Island came out in March 2007 with Harvest House, and the sequel, Finding Marie, released Sept. 1.
Tell us about your current book?
Finding Marie follows a young woman who witnesses a murder on an erratic journey across the country. She has limited access to communication, but manages to make her way toward home. The killers are just a step behind her. She realizes she has something they want—their victim put it in her luggage without her knowing it. While her husband and his best friend try desperately to catch up with her and rescue her, Marie must outwit the villains time and again.
How did you come up with ideas for this book?
Marie’s husband, Lt. Pierre Belanger, was a major character in my first suspense, Frasier Island. My editor loved Pierre and wanted to see more of him. But Pierre had gotten married at the end of Frasier Island. To make him a romantic lead, I had to either kill off his wife or separate them under dire circumstances. I chose the latter, since I didn’t want to kill Marie. Instead I’ve put her through horrible events! I also decided to introduce both Marie’s and Pierre’s extended families, which adds some humor and romance.
List your three most recent books.
The Lumberjack’s Lady came out in July. It’s the third in my Maine historical trilogy for Heartsong. A French-Canadian lumberjack saves the life of the lumber baron’s daughter. As a reward, the boss takes him to work in the company office. But he would never consider Étienne a suitable son-in-law. His daughter Letitia has other ideas.
Sarah’s Long Ride, released in May by JourneyForth, features 14-year-old Sarah Piper, who loves to ride long-distance horse races, called endurance rides. Her mother died in an accident, and Sarah goes to live with her uncle Joe, a horse trainer in desolate eastern Oregon. Will Uncle Joe let her compete in the 100-mile ride she and her mother signed up for? More important, will Sarah and Joe learn what it takes to be a family?
The Castaway’s Bride, released in March from Heartsong, finds Edward Hunter coming home to Portland, Maine after four years on a Pacific island. Everyone at home thought he was dead. His fiancé is engaged to another man. Edward takes over his father’s shipping business and learns that God has plans for him that he never suspected.
Whatʼs next for you?
Lots of exciting things! I’m learning a lot about marketing. Harvest House has arranged events like a recording of my voice talking about my latest book, to be played on their “on hold†line when people call their office. Also, Books-A-Million chose my book Frasier Island as its October selection for the Faithpoint Book Club. I’ll fly to Alabama in October for an event at their managers’ training seminar. And Christianbook.com has made a page for me in their online “author store,†where you can find a bio, discussion questions, and more.
My upcoming book releases include:
Two romantic suspense from Love Inspired Suspense—Just Cause comes out in January and Witness comes out in May.
A set of cozy mysteries written with my daughter Megan. Homicide at Blue Heron Lake comes out in February from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries. Later books in the series will be Treasure at Blue Heron Lake (we’re working on it now) and Imposters at Blue Heron Lake.
A set of three New Hampshire historicals from Heartsong, starting with the 1689 massacre in Dover, will come out in 2008. The first book, Return to Love, releases in May.
My Wyoming and Maine Heartsong sets will be repackaged in 2008 and released in stores. I also have a novel, Weaving the Future, in a Virginia repack with Cathy Marie Hake and Vickie McDonough.
I just signed the contract for a novella in a Colorado Snowbound Christmas collection, to come out in the fall of 2008.
Where can visitors find you online?
Visit my website at: www.susanpagedavis.com. Be sure to enter the contest, in which I give away one of my books each month. The winner chooses the title. I can also be found on Keep Me In Suspense: www.keepmeinsuspense.com, a site geared to writers of Christian mystery and suspense. We post author interviews and articles about writing this genre. We also give away books and critiques.
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